It's about Maria who discovered that when she handed her life over to God all things fall into place as it should.
Travelling to Italy was Maria's way of escaping her past and beginning a new life. After being used and treated as cheap by men because of poor judgement, Maria prayed and left her fate in God's Hands to find her the perfect match.
When God answered Maria’s prayer and sent her His choice, someone from her past came to claim what he thought was his.
Will he succeed in ruining the future Maria had trusted God to secure for her?
Excerpt
She could feel a love growing inside her each time she was around one of the kids at the orphanage; especially the babies. It made her wonder if she would make a good mother. She placed the small dish, now empty, on the seat she sat on, and held the baby up and stared at her. Maria kissed the baby on her cheek and wiggled her nose against the baby’s, trying to make her laugh. The infant chuckled, and Maria felt blissful, lost in the moment.
“Hello, Bella.”
A voice whispered near her ear, almost startling her. She felt her body stiffened, hoping it wasn’t who she thought it was. Without turning to look, she listened to his movements, until she felt his presence on the bench next to her. Without thinking, she turned to see; it was Franco.
“What are you doing here?” she asked in an angry tone.
“I have missed you a lot, Maria,” he answered. “These are for you,” he continued stretching flowers to her.
She glared at him.
“I am so sorry, Maria, for the way I had treated you. Your beauty had me so captivated. I could not help myself. Forgive me, please. Let me make it up to you by taking you to dinner tonight.”
“You tried to force yourself on me, and now you sit here asking me to go out with you?” She stressed. “Have you forgotten what you said to me?” Maria inhaled and exhaled softly, trying to keep down the rage that wanted to surface.
“Come on Maria, I didn’t mean what I said then,” he tried to defend himself.
She gave him a sardonic smile. “So you say now, maybe you have heard I met someone and feel it should be you.” Her smile faded, and her expression grew harsh. “But how can I forget you telling me, I should be happy a man of your social upbringing and class has shown such interest in me. And worst, that I would never find anyone better than you. Your charm and money might work on other women, but I won’t go out with you.”
Franco sighed, and with a look of sincere apology, he stretched the flowers over to her again. “You’re right Maria; I should never have said any of that or tried to force myself on you. I have no excuse, but that’s why I want to take you to dinner to make up for all I did to hurt you.”
Maria found her thoughts reflecting on something the Bible said, as she listened to Franco. ‘God is Love’, and she realised, for her to let others see that she was devoted to following God’s commands, she had to love her enemies as the Bible says. This, she found to be a challenge now sitting next to Franco.
Professional Reviews
inspiring story of love and hope
Marshalee Patteron's Predestined Love is an inspiring book about the unpredictability of life and love, and the struggles involved in both. It is one that many people can relate to on a variety of levels. Love, passion, hope, fear, loneliness, longing...The story of Maria and her fateful trip to the historic and beautiful Sicily is a reminder that sometimes the love in a person's heart can overcome the greatest of obstacles. The cast of characters in this short novel is diverse, and each character is unique and well defined. Maria's devotion to faith in God is also a very effective theme in this story as it helps to drive the plot and reinforce the idea that hope and faith are bigger than any one individual. I recommend this book as it is charming, yet earnest, and Maria's overcoming of difficult challenges is a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
short and sweet
This short novella is an endearing story about love and faith; the assurance that God answers prayers, that despite trials and tribulations and suffering, one’s faith in the love and power of God will ultimately bear fruit and bring triumph over adversity.
Short but sweet is how I would describe this book and would recommend it as a good read. This book should appeal to teenagers and young adults in particular but also to more mature readers.
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